We finally have dad moved into his new home! The move itself went very smoothly; Roy had organized the moving truck and other details related to moving; Bob has been helping dad pack for the last few weeks and all three of us went over on the weekend before the move to pack the last minute stuff. Then on Monday, September 9th, the BIG move!! Roy supervised the movers and Bob, Brian and I took dad over to the new place along with two carloads of boxes so we could get started on unpacking and getting dad settled before the movers got there. By lunch time, everything was done!! We all had lunch at dad’s new place courtesy of Arbor Trails. Since then, there have been minor issues to get dad comfortable in his new place. As can be expected, this is a brand new place, so staff are still learning their jobs, minor construction details are still being finished and dad is having to get used to things being a slightly bit different than where he was before. Our biggest most frustrating issue was the non-delivery of the Toronto Star newspaper!!! Not only did dad have this issue but other residents as well. Now you would think, what would be so hard for the circulation department to get a call of change of address and delivery to a new address? Well we thought the same and never really got a true answer of why it took that long. Delivery was suppose to start on Tuesday Sept 10; and day after day after day of phone calls, first from Roy until he got so frustrated that I took over and finally with my frustration, I asked the Circulation Department to get me in contact with a supervisor as this was just so ridiculous; finally 10 days later (Sept 19) dad started to get his newspaper! If I had had my way, I would have cancelled the paper altogether because of this but dad loves his Toronto Star so with perseverance it now is finally being delivered.
So dad seems to slowly be settling down to his new routine in his new wonderful home. The Main Street of the Village is quite breath-taking and once they get all the services running properly, it is going to be a grand place for dad to live. Dad is already going to exercise class every day, he loves his new apartment with a patio out the back where he can sit and enjoy his “back-yard” – much better view than looking at Highway #6 (Hanlon) where he lived before. I found out yesterday that the “Spa” and “Hairdressing/Barber shop” are also open to the public; so I’m going to start getting my nails done and have a visit with my dad at the same time! I truly hope that dad is going to enjoy this place once the dust has settled. Here are a few pictures I took:
Front Entrance to the Village of the Arbor Trails
This is as you come in the front door – looking straight ahead. There is a lot of openness as you can see – the ceiling is surrounded with windows and is quite high. There is a lot of light coming into the Village itself.
To the left of the front entrance is the cozy library with a fireplace and books!
Brian and Roy enjoying the “Café” where people can meet have a coffee, Latte, Cappuccino, juice, muffin, and have a visit. If you look up to the glassed-in balcony; that is where “Memory Care” is located on the second floor and people living on the second floor have their own dining room and other amenities available for them.
Another view of the café taken from a different angle. The café also has doors to the outside where there are patio tables to sit and enjoy your refreshments outside The little room at the right behind where Brian is sitting (enjoying the paper!) is the Social Club where there are games, puzzles, pool table etc.
This is the “Restaurant” (aka Dining Room). Dad lining his walker up with the rest of them! Residents actually order off a menu which is different from his previous residence. They also can have a glass of wine with lunch and dinner if they so choose to do so.
To the right is the “Pub” where you can order drinks (once they get their license). This is one of the little issues they are still dealing with – you would think they would have got the license organized before residents starting moving in!!
This is the “town hall” and ‘Chapel”.
This is the “hub” of the Village – walking down Main Street! Dad’s room is just down the corridor to the right of this picture. So he doesn’t have too far to walk.
This is the General Store. At this point in time, it is not open yet. It will have all the little necessities that the residents need to buy. The residents can just tell them what they would like stocked in the General Store and they will get it in. This will be opening soon.
This is the “Spa” where you can get all kinds of esthetic services, massages, etc. I am going to frequent this shop myself getting my nails done!!
The Beauty Salon which is now open and if you look a little ahead where the clock is on the wall that is the “Nurses station”. Dad’s room is directly across from the Beauty Salon – dad can converse with all the beautiful women that come from the Beauty Shop!
Dad’s room looking in through his front door.
To the left of the front door is his bedroom.
The bathroom…..
The kitchenette
His patio out the back.
From his patio to the left he faces the back of the building where the Restaurant (Dining Room) is. This the patio for the dining area – residents can eat outside if it is nice out.
From his patio to the right, he faces the boundaries to the pond…..
This is the pond if he looks over the cement fenced area.
So, all in all, as you can see, it is a very beautiful place to live. Mind you, it is expensive to live here but isn’t this what we save for in our retirement? I am so happy that dad can live in a place like this and it is beautiful for us to visit as well. Dad is always ready to welcome visitors, so if you are in the area, please drop around to see him. The Village of Arbor Trails is located in the Aboretum across the from University of Guelph. Dad is in room 124-32 Bayberry Crescent.
